


Red Bean Cafe

by GreyishBlue



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, M/M, Mandatory Fun Day, Meeting, Pining, baker!clint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 07:30:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20671601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyishBlue/pseuds/GreyishBlue
Summary: Written for Mandatory Fun Day and also Winterhawk Bingo Square: Coffee Shop AUAlso thanks to the WHB discord for giving me dumb ideas all the time. <3





	Red Bean Cafe

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Mandatory Fun Day and also Winterhawk Bingo Square: Coffee Shop AU
> 
> Also thanks to the WHB discord for giving me dumb ideas all the time. <3

The Red Bean is small and kind of dingy, walls littered with artwork that decidedly makes no effort to match. Bucky loves the place immediately. Ever since moving to Salem, he's been trying to find somewhere that makes a decent cup of coffee that doesn't make him want to crawl out of his skin with pretentiousness. So far every place has been either a Starbucks or some hipster joint that charges ridiculous amounts for not even very good coffee. So he walks to the counter with a tad of worry and hope. The petite redhead next to the register greets him with a friendly smile, which is a nice change from the bored dismissal he's been getting lately. The selection of pastries has him impressed, there are more options than he'd figured a little shop like this would have. He remarks on it and gets another grin from Natasha (according to her helpful nametag), this one a little bit sly.

"Yeah! We've got a pretty motivated baker working here, he's always trying to make new things for us." She punctuates her statement with a little nod of her head back to where a tall sandy-haired man is wiping down a counter. Bucky tries not to stare, though the biceps on blondie are seriously threatening the integrity of his shirt sleeves.

Bucky wrangles his eyes back into his head and focuses on actually ordering something. "Could I have… uh a medium mocha, do you guys have soy?" He gets a quick nod from her and continues "with soy please and one of those stroopwaf..fuck." Bucky stumbles over the word as his eyes lock on the stunning ass of the man bending over. Natasha's bright laughter rings out across the shop and the baker's head snaps up at the sound, his blue eyes zeroing in on Bucky's blushing face. Bucky is fairly certain he's going to melt into the floor when the guy smirks at him, like he knows exactly what Bucky was looking at moments ago. 

"One medium soy mocha and a stroopwaffuck courtesy of our baker, Clint, coming right up!" She winks at Bucky when she drops the name for him, tells him his total and gathers his money before she goes to whip up his drink. Bucky immediately slinks over to one of the tables to try to hide his blush while he waits. He pulls a book from the backpack he’s been carting around for ages and buries his nose in it, pretending to read while berating himself for having just… zero control of his mouth when a pretty boy is involved. He startles when, a few minutes later, a plate is set down on his table, and glances up to see Clint standing over him. Up close like this, Bucky can see that he has some light stubble across a perfect fucking jawline, and a nose that’s probably been broken more than once at some point in his life. It takes him a bit to realize he’s just staring mutely up at the man before he can gather up his brain enough to mutter a quiet thank you. 

“Mm, of course. Hope you enjoy, made that fresh this morning!” Clint tosses a wink at Bucky as he walks back to his place behind the counter. On the table in front of him is a lovely purple mug with the stroopwafel balanced neatly on one edge, the heat from his coffee already making the caramel between the biscuits a little melty. It’s absolutely delicious, between the rich chocolate in his coffee and the delicate caramel of the treat, Bucky knows he’s definitely coming back here. He tries his best not to sneak too many glances over at the counter where Natasha and Clint seem to be bickering playfully. He finishes his coffee and curses himself for doing it so quickly. Out of decent excuses to sit and stare, he sets his used dishes on the counter before heading home.

Bucky makes a point to go back to The Red Bean for all his coffee needs, which are quite demanding, really. He tries a different fresh baked good every time, and marvels at how many different shades of purple mug the place seems to own. Being on a first name basis and trading some possible flirting with Clint makes his mornings a hell of a lot easier. He’s definitely noticed that Clint always brings his order to him, even though Natasha seems to bring them to other patrons. Bucky lets himself enjoy the attention, but he can’t quite get up the nerve to ask Clint out. It’s pretty gauche to hit on someone at their place of work, and he isn’t sure what to do about the crush he’s developing on the taller man. A few months after finding his new favorite coffee place, the issue is figured out for him.

Bucky is almost at the door of the shop when a familiar voice calls his name. He turns toward the sound and promptly drops his bag. Clint is there grinning at him, his shoulders straining at a leather jacket, legs wrapped in old blue jeans, and a pair of aviators pushed up into his hair. Behind him is a sleek little motorcycle, all clean lines and shiny blue paint. It’s like man and machine were just made to complement each other, and Bucky can’t help but take a step toward the temptation of them. Clint strolls over to meet Bucky, bends slowly down to grab his bag and return it, absolute mischief in his eyes when he catches Bucky staring. Bucky glances to the door of the shop, back to Clint, and realizes all at once that Clint is technically not at work right now. Before he can let his nerves talk him out of it, he’s blurting, “You should go on a date with me. Not like. Coffee, obviously. Lunch?”

Clint is laughing, but not at him, just clearly enjoying the way Bucky is stumbling over half his words. “Yeah, I’d like that a lot, Buck. You free right now?” 

It takes Bucky a few moments to realize that Clint definitely planned this, that there is a spare helmet dangling from the handlebars, that this is Clint’s usual day off even. A little giddy at the thought that Clint went out of his way, Bucky nods his assent and feels a thrill race up his spine when Clint takes his hand to lead him to the bike. They get themselves settled, Bucky pressed up against Clint’s muscled back, and he can’t help but laugh at the jaunty salute Clint sends Natasha’s way through the window. 

Bucky feels Clint’s hand pat his thigh before starting up the rumbling engine, and he is really fucking glad he found this particular coffee shop.


End file.
